Sump Pump

[Indiana]

I live in Indiana, we usually have alot of rain, and alot of ground water in my area. I have an old farm house that was built in the late 1800's with a full basement. The basement has a 6" hole one corner that acts as the drain. It does good sometimes, like when it is dry out, or when the ground is frozen. It has been an issue I need to fix though as water seems to come up through the hole more than it drains during wet times(alot!) I have sit a pump on it for now and I am able to keep the water down to just that corner. I have seen the hole when it is empty and right below the concrete floor it seems to be made entirely out of red bricks. I would like to bust out that corner floor(seems to be about 8"+ thick) and install a sump well and attach that to my septic which is only about 5' from that corner. I have seen many pages saying this really isnt a hard project and is one I could do myself. What advice would you have for trying something like this and what would you do in my position?

TIA!
Indiana

[kactuskid]

I think it would be a great idea to install a permanent sump crock and pump. But you don't want to connect the discharge up to your septic system. This would overload your tank and cause the solids to be flushed out, which will clog up your system and lead to major problems and expense.


So, make sure you extend the discharge of your pump outside your home and extend it as far away as possible from the foundation walls and also maintain a postive grade around the foundation walls of at least 1" per foot for 4' out. This will ensure that water will drain away and not back towards your walls.

The following link will show you how to install a sump crock and pump:
Installing A Sump Pump - Popular Mechanics

And the next two links will tell you all about your septic system and why it's important not to overload it with excessive water.

Septic System Owner's Guide: Maintenance and Care

Septic Systems A to Z Maintenance

[HayZee518]

a dry well may be your answer, but because of a high water table as you say may not work. as kactus said discharging the sump contents into your septic tank is not the way. the anerobic action of bacteria breaks down the solids into a liquid is discharged into the leach field. if you could make a dry well, a hole dug below the frost line and lined with varying stages of gravel may leach the sump contents into the surrounding soil. the red brick in your sump hole now, acts like a sponge to gather groundwater for further discharge.